Fibromyalgia, CFS and Lupus: Nutrition that Promotes Healing

Nutrition is one key factor in any health condition. Fibromyalgia and auto immune diseases are a health problem on several levels. Nutrition or lack of it is one of them. This article will review nutritional life style changes that will help you promote healing and improved health.

The greatest nutritional problem in the United States is the reliance on soda, junk food, fast food and convenience food. This is the main contributing factor in many diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and a host of other health problems including Fibromyalgia. We need to change the way we eat to get well.

Nutritional changes that can help you to heal: The Green, Living Food Lifestyle

Step #1: Out with the junk foods: After working with people for years, I have found that as long as you keep the foods in your pantry that are negative, you will continue to eat them. It is so easy to grab a package of mac and cheese when you are tired. It is so temping to pull out a TV dinner and pop it in the microwave. When chips and junk food are on the shelf you eat them. This is harsh but go through your kitchen pantry and throw out all the soda, junk food, sugared cereal, calorie soaked foods, and packaged meals in a box. That sounds radical and I know I have lost some of you with this statement. I hope you will read this article through rather than suffer for another month or year with pain and debilitating symptoms. You may need to implement this program with a friend for support. Your family needs to understand why you are doing this and how it will help all of you. Your whole family needs to be on this living foods program if possible. When the family as a whole goes on a program, the results are quicker, more effective, and long lasting. You can make treats but this new program should be your lifestyle 90% of the time. In implementing these changes, will get much flack from your family and friends so be aware of that. This will be one of the hardest things to do but your healing depends on this. This program is not a weight loss program even though you will lose weight. The goal is improved health and the reduction of painful symptoms and fatigue.

Step #2: In with the good food: The green, living foods lifestyle includes nuts, whole grains, fresh organic vegetables, fresh organic fruit, and organic meat if included in the diet. Some experts feel a vegetarian diet is necessary but I have found that some people feel better with some organic meat in the menu. Most Americans eat three to four times more meat that is needed for health. Unless it is organic meat, those animals have been fed antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals that end up polluting the quality of the meat. This is a cook from scratch menu. Packaged, pre-cooked foods should not be included in the menu.

What to do if you poor. There are programs called Share Foods where you buy food at a discount. The fresh vegetables in the Share program are not organic but are fresh at least. One of the packages do include many fresh vegetables. Grow a garden if you are able. Buy from Farmer's Markets or from your local neighbor. I always end up giving my organic tomatoes away because they all come ripe at once. I have noticed at supermarkets that many of the people using food stamps spend precious money on items like sugared cereal, chips, and soda. Those items should not be in your basket no matter what your income is. You can improve your families nutrition by just avoiding buying the junk food. Money you were spending on junk food can now be used to buy fresh vegetables and fruit instead.

If you have little time to cook, enlist your children to cook or your spouse. It does not take long to throw together a fresh salad. Fresh steamed veggies do not take long either. An attitude change needs to go with this program. You need to hold the idea of having better health as a primary focus which is at the top on your list. If you work, cook enough of everything so you can freeze it for later meals. Most of what you eat should be fresh not cooked. The more you cook a food, the less value it has. Cooking kills enzymes, Vitamin C and most of the vitamins end up in the cooking water. Steaming your vegetables should be the method of cooking vegetables if they are not eaten raw.

How do you make these changes when you are having trouble just getting out of bed? What ever we feel is important, we will find time for, that is human nature. So often it is not that we don't have time but that it is not a priority on our list. You need to make it a priority. When suffering from the pain and fatigue of auto immune diseases this is a great struggle. Join a self help group and make the effort to attend the meetings that can give you needed support. Sometimes to crawl through the steps to healing we must enlist the help of a higher source. I have found that my belief in that higher source and asking for strength is the only thing that got me through the rough times in my life. Utilize supportive family and friends to help you. If you are in severe pain, just try to do one or two things each day to eat better.

Why should you go through all this trouble? To feel better, have more energy, and to get control of the pain you are experiencing. Is continued pain and ill health what you want? I don't think so. You need to start at the beginning, with what you eat. `

Living foods help to repair and restore the acid / alkaline balance to the cells and body as a whole. When you are too acid or alkaline, imbalances occur and disease is created.

Living foods feed the tissues, organs and body systems so they can repair, generate new healthy cells, and work more effectively again.

Living foods provide the body with enzymes that cooked food cannot. Cooking kills enzymes. Enzymes are needed for all the processes in the body. Enzymes are needed for life.

One last point is that living foods help the body to detoxify and eliminate toxins. They provide fiber along with other nutrients that is needed for healthy bowel function. When your body begins to heal and repair itself, you will begin to have more energy and vitality. You won't have to drag yourself out of bed.

Living foods will help you to lose weight and keep your weight down. Obesity even 15 pounds is hard on the bones and joints. Try an experiment by carrying around a 5 or 10 pound bag of flour for two hours. Even 10 pounds has an effect on your energy level.

Many things in life require discipline: It is 5 am and I am writing this article. If I sleep in, my husband is up and there are too many distractions. If I want to get my writing done, that is what I must do. I didn't want to get up this morning, but once up, the peace and quiet to write is all worth the effort to get up. It is an a real effort some mornings. We walk the dogs twice a day on our new property. At times, that walk comes right in the middle of a project that I may not want to stop. But once I do, I know that it is worth it as I see our dogs chase rabbits and squirrels. I realize I needed a break anyway. I often work too long without stopping. The dogs and walks help keep my life in balance. Discipline is established over time as you adhere to a program or goal each day. It takes at least two months to establish a new program. To some it is easy but to many of us, it is not. You just have to do it each day until it becomes a habit in your life. If you fail one day, pick yourself up, and start over. You are going to have set backs. The important thing is to never give up despite set backs, friends and family who may be negative.

Step# 3: Increase healthy liquids in your life style: Drink more pure water, fresh juice, and herbal teas including lots of green tea. This will help your elimination, your skin, your energy level and your health in general. Buy a juicer and make your own fresh juice. There are many more enzymes and vitamins in fresh juice as compared with purchased juice and much less sugar.

Reduce your coffee and black tea intake: Coffee depletes the body of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. If you are a coffee addict, then cut back slowly each day until you are coffee free. Cut back one to two cups each week until you have reached your goal. Cutting out coffee cold turkey will result in headaches, nausea, and feeling sick. Taking several weeks to cut back on your coffee intake, will make it easier and less stressful.

Step #4: Reduce or avoid alcohol in your life style: Mixed drinks are full of sugar and calories. Alcohol other than a glass of wine clogs up the body. Drinking more than two drinks of any alcoholic drink becomes negative. Alcohol has an impact on blood sugar and weight gain. It has an impact on brain function and body function.

Step #5: Get help to get off drugs and smoking: Most people cannot go off addictions by themselves. They need help. Your body cannot repair and heal when you are addicted. Addictions tear down the body and your life. I have never gone through it, but I know it is hell for those of you who do. The road with addictions can only lead to pain, imbalances, and death. You are killing your mind and body. There are many programs and self-help groups if you have no insurance to get further professional help.

Wellness is not magic it is dedication to reach your goal for better health. We all have choices. You can continue on with your current program of pain and ill health or take a path which ultimately will give you health and healing. The choice is yours.

References:

healthmad.com/nutrition/health-benefits-of-green-fruits-and-vegetables/

www.webmd.com/diet/bhc-eating-and-nutrition/default.htm

www.webmd.com/food-recipes/tc/healthy-eating-overview